Platform Thinking: Reusing Hard-Won Knowledge

Platform thinking involves building a basic architecture to which different modules can be added for mass customization. This approach has been successful in various products and services, including Lego, eBay, and smartphones. Platforms enable reusing hard-won knowledge, such as through knowledge extension, recombination, and co-creation with users. However, it's important to avoid relying too much on a particular architecture and to think about how the underlying knowledge architecture works. Increasingly, platforms are opening up to allow co-creation and other forms of knowledge sharing and recombination, both within and outside of organizations.